Album Review: Barefoot Blue Jean Night

It’s been a huge year for Jake Owen. The budding country star has been on the cusp of something big during the early part of his career. Now he’s right on the edge of becoming a headlining star. He’s already moving past his third record with one last single. Later this year we should get a new single from a new album.

That fourth album could be the one that decides just how high Jake can go.

So we’ve already heard a number of songs off this record. It came out in August of 2011, but we’re going to look back at each of the tracks because it’s been a game changer for Jake Owen

Album Review: Barefoot Blue Jean Night

The biggest change on this album for Jake was that he relinquished the writing duties. Up to this point he had mostly recorded only his own songs, but for this album he brought in some of the best writers around and it really paid off.

Jake did have one cut on the record and it became a huge single. So there’s no doubt he has the writing chops. It will be interesting to see what his next move is.

1. Anywhere With You

Jake recently released the fourth single from this record and the song is this one. It’s a good choice. It’s about falling in love and being in young love. That’s a theme for this record and one that you’ll hear throughout.

2. Keepin’ It Country

Jake makes no bones about wanting to be a country star. This is his little nod to the crowd.

3. Wide Awake

I have to say that this is my favorite song on the entire album. I love it. There is a really cool hook in the chorus that gets me. It’s a great song. It probably won’t be a single, but I think it’s a really cool song that could have been a big hit. Sometimes there are just too many songs on an album that they can’t all be hits. I guess it’s a good problem to have.

4. Barefoot Blue Jean Night

This was the single that changed the course of Jake Owen’s career. It came out in the summer of 2011 and really took off. It became a fast rising single and introduced the world to a new Jake Owen – the guy that wants to become one of the biggest stars in country music.

5. Heaven

Two years ago I saw Jake in concert. It was just before this album came out and he played two songs. One was this one. This was the song I liked the most of the two. It was weird because I liked the live version so much I kept listening to it and actually kind of like it more than this version. It’s interesting that neither this song or the other one Jake played that day became singles.

6. Apple Pie Moonshine

This is a fun song that doesn’t mean to be taken too seriously. It’s just a fun song with a funny title.

7. The Journey Of Your Life

Here’s a change of pace song. It slows things down and it’s a noted change for this party boy.

8. Alone With You

This was the second single off the record. It’s not my favorite off the record, but people loved it because it went all the way to number one.

9. Settin’ The World On Fire

This was the other song Jake played when I was in the crowd two years ago. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at the time, but it’s a pretty good song. It’s about two lovers feeling like they’re the only ones out there.

10. Nobody Feelin’ No Pain

This is the classic type of Jake Owen song. You can tell it’s one for the live crowd more than it’s for radio. People have been loving this one. It’s a party song.

11. The One That Got Away

This is the lone song on the record that Jake had a hand in writing. It’s actually one of the better songs too. Jake took this single all the way to number one on the charts this past year. It’s a great song and a good way to kind of end this record.